Viking: Master of the Icy Sea

Chapter 284: The Ambition of the Natives

In just half a day, the pirates occupied two inland villages. They ransacked the cellars and slaughtered the livestock to celebrate their hard-won victory.

Without a doubt, their next target would be the plantation.

After lunch, the overseer sought out Helgi, advising the Earl to make plans early. "We can rely on the palisade to defend the camp, but the crops outside are completely exposed. If the enemy fails to breach our defenses and decides to destroy the sugarcane and wheat seedlings instead, everything we have painstakingly built will be completely ruined."

Helgi shot his subordinate an irritated glare. He had already considered this problem, but he had no solutions.

The hired hands at the plantation harbored simmering resentment, making them suitable only for low-difficulty tasks: defending the camp or bullying weak native tribes. If he led these laborers into a head-on clash with the pirates, he estimated they would rout after taking just ten percent casualties.

"My lord, you can seek reinforcements! Ask the Guanches to help us fight!"

The natives?

Ever since Hrogeir married the chieftain's daughter, Bodi, Helgi's conflicts with the Guanches had temporarily subsided. The two sides traded regularly, and the plantation even hired a small number of Guanches as temporary workers. Their relationship remained strictly ordinary.

Over time, Helgi discovered that the chieftain was among the most shrewd of the Guanches, never allowing himself to suffer a loss. If he took the initiative to seek their help, he anticipated paying an exorbitant price.

"Sigh, I just hope they do not demand too much."Helgi accepted the overseer's suggestion. "After I leave, make sure to guard the camp well. Use the pretext of negotiating peace to stall these pirates, and do not let them ruin the sugarcane seedlings in the fields."

"As you command, my lord."

Soon, Helgi selected a temporary Guanche worker to act as a guide, following him deep into the jungle. According to their initial peace treaty, the Vikings had not set foot in the inland areas for two years, leaving them completely unfamiliar with the surrounding landscape. The deeper they went, the more uneasy his four accompanying knights became, fearing their Lord would face danger.

Late that night, he arrived at a valley in the center of the island. Looking from afar, the rock walls on both sides were dotted with the glow of scattered lamps. A palisade had been erected at the entrance of the valley, complete with an outer moat—a poor imitation of Viking defensive structures.

A moment later, the Guanche guide walked toward the palisade with his hands raised. He shouted repeatedly, finally waking his fellow tribesmen who were dozing off in the watchtower.

They conversed briefly before the wooden gates creaked open just enough to let the Guanche guide pass, then swiftly shut behind him.

"The sentries were actually dozing off? It seems I overestimated their vigilance and combat effectiveness. Joining forces with this bunch of trash will give us no more than a sixty percent chance of winning."

Helgi nibbled on his dry rations. Before long, the gates swung wide open, and a squad of Guanche soldiers armed with spears marched out. Chieftain Chawatu stepped forward to welcome his uninvited guest, trailed by his Viking attendant, Adrien.

"Lord Earl, what matter could possibly warrant a visit from you this late at night?"

The pirates had been wreaking havoc in the coastal areas for four entire days. Chawatu had definitely received the news; he was clearly playing dumb. Because Helgi needed his help, he refrained from exposing the man's hypocrisy. Just as he was about to explain his intentions, Chawatu pulled him along toward a house in the center of the valley.

Upon entering, Helgi found a table already laden with food and drink. Unable to refuse the chieftain's persistent hospitality, he forced down several large cups of sugarcane rum. Before the alcohol could go to his head, he solemnly requested Chawatu to dispatch troops to their aid.

After enduring some useless pleasantries, Helgi sat up straight, his tone turning serious. "Chieftain, what exactly do you want? Iron tools, grain, or perhaps agricultural and medical knowledge?"

"No, those are all secondary."

Chawatu believed that the peace treaty was not permanent, but rather dependent on the speed of the Vikings' land reclamation. Assuming they eventually needed more land, conflict would break out sooner or later.

He could foresee that even if he acquired a small number of iron weapons and armor, he still would not be able to defeat the well-equipped Viking nobles with their superior tactics. Recently, Chawatu had repeatedly discussed matters with the tribe's elders and the Viking Adrien, arriving at a seemingly reliable solution:

The chieftain must become a noble recognized by the Kingdom of Britain, receiving the second-largest island as his fief. There, they would cultivate sugarcane to produce cane sugar, developing their own strength through trade rather than relying on Helgi's unilateral charity.

'Trash like you expects a grant of nobility?'

Helgi was furious inwardly, but he swallowed his anger and urged, "Could we negotiate a different condition?"

Chawatu shook his head. "This is our only demand. If you disagree, I will have no choice but to cooperate with the pirates."

"Are you not afraid they will back out on their word and sell you all as slaves? Furthermore, the Kingdom of Britain stands behind me. Are you confident you can handle Wigg's fury? You have spent enough time with Adrien; you must have heard many tales about him. If I die here, whether out of personal affection or to uphold the King's authority, Wigg will definitely exact his revenge."

Sensing the precarious situation, Helgi temporarily laid aside his arrogance and used his liege lord's name to intimidate the man. Chawatu's face paled slightly, but he stood his ground.

The stalemate lasted until the second half of the night. Helgi finally agreed to concede, on the condition that after Chawatu relocated, the remaining tribes on Sun Island would be left for Helgi to deal with.

"Deal!"

With the agreement reached, Chawatu ordered his trusted aides to muster the troops. Over the past two years, he had annexed many smaller tribes, bringing his total population to five thousand—accounting for forty percent of the Guanches on Sun Island.

Faced with this hard-won opportunity, he drafted all the able-bodied men in the tribe, assembling a force of one thousand soldiers.

"Lord Earl, what do you think?"

After pondering for half a minute, Helgi barely managed to find a single redeeming quality. "Uh, the young men have excellent spirit."

During their trade relations, the Vikings had strictly limited the flow of iron tools into the Guanche tribes. As a result, the primary weapons of these new allies were still wooden spears. Their only notable advancement was that Adrien had taught them how to use a bow and arrow, successfully training two hundred archers.

Compared to the various armies he had witnessed, the combat prowess of these Guanches was even worse than that of the Anglo militia. However, Helgi had no choice but to make do with what he had.

After breakfast, Chawatu officially set out with his men. As time passed, the Guanche formation gradually loosened. Many chatted as they walked, and some even pulled out wineskins, taking turns drinking with their comrades.

At noon, they found an open clearing to rest. Chawatu ordered his centurions to take a headcount, only to discover that ninety men were missing—perhaps they had lost their way, or perhaps they were passively avoiding the battle.

Sensing Helgi's thinly veiled disdain, Chawatu disbanded his personal guard and dispersed them among the various hundreds to maintain order. Furthermore, he began halting the march at regular intervals to reorganize their formation. This new strategy proved quite effective; only fifty men deserted that afternoon.

As the sky grew dim, Helgi had them select a concealed mountain hollow to rest. Before departing, he repeatedly instructed Chawatu, "Remember, the battle begins tomorrow morning. When the time comes, you will be responsible for..."

With his instructions given, he used the cover of night to return to the camp, where he met his deeply anxious overseer.

"What is the situation?"

The overseer replied, "The enemy reached the outskirts of the plantation this morning. They did not dare to attack the camp, but instead lingered in the surrounding area. I saw some of them destroying the crops, so I followed your orders and initiated negotiations, managing to stall them for the time being."